History of American Football

Football is an energetic game which stimulates to their spectators. American football history is very interesting and long. The father of American Football is the great Yale athlete Walter Camp and the first game begins with Ivy League. Earlier football in America considered being a violent and dangerous game and it was banned in the colleges. Later on it was taken up by East Coast Prep School Boys. Yes it’s true. Two different variation of the game was played by Princeton and Harvard in 1820. With little way of rules, this free for all version of play, American players play football violently which leads to serious injuries. Football game was first banned in Yale in 1860 and then Harvard in 1861.

Schoolboys again made the way of American Football to its next step. Boston school boys played a form of football that includes both running and kicking. It was more rugby than soccer. The hybrid version of this American football game is known as the “Boston Game”. The first formal football club in the Unites States was Oneida Football Club.

Later on when collegiate boys thought of giving another try in late 1860’s, the first collegiate football game in United States was played between Rutgers vs. Princeton in 1869. Rules of the football game were first codified in October 20, 1873 in New York City’s fifth Avenue hotel. It was more close to soccer. Harvard refused to join Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers as Harvard preferred to stay with Boston Game.

Harvard then had a series of rugby style game against Montreal’s MacGill University and here today’s touchdown comes in to picture. Touchdown refers to physically touching the football down on the ground beyond the goal time.

Finally all colleges of United States began leaving the soccer version in favor of the rugby style of play. In November 23, 1876, based on the Harvard –MacGill game new set of rules formed for the game.

Walter Camp of Yale in 1878 suggested decreasing the number of players from fifteen to eleven as in today’s play and founded the line of struggle, with the snap from center to quarterback as the opening point for each play. But this new rule was later used by Princeton to slow walk the ball, keeping the possession of ball for maximum time until the defense get to sleep.

Walter has changed this rule so that a team had to move ahead the ball a minimum of five yards in three plays. At present it is ten yards in four plays. It was Walter camp who created, modified the rules of American football and make closer to the game we are familiar with today.

Forward pass was come in to game in 1906. Forward pass has introduced to open up the game and also to reduce injuries.

The Professional sport of the football has been brought by the history of American football.

Gordon Grant Curtis is the Football lover who loves to play , watch this energetic and competitive game.